Theres really only one place to go for a martini in this burg, and thats Angels Share. The shallow space sits right at the corner where Stuyvesant Street breaks off from West Ninth, which is the defacto crossroads of the East Village. So, as you sit in the upstairs window surveying the scene and getting plowed on martinis, youre sure to see friendseven if youre from Dalmatia or Dubaiwandering past down below. The panache with which the bartenders shake the martinis is an added plus at this Japanese cocktail establishment. 8 Stuyvesant Street, 212- 777-5415

While most Afghan restaurants specialize in kebabs, pilafs, and fried things, Balkh Shish Kabab House, under the N tracks in Astoria, exhibits a penchant for boiling and braising. Most unique is a braised jerky called laundy, but you can also get a pair of shing: magnificent boiled lamb shanks oozing marrow. Other don't-miss dishes include fist-sized aushack dumplings stuffed with meat and pumpkin-filled turnovers known as bolanee kadu—demonstrating a surprising vegetarian bent to the meat-heavy menu. 23-10 31st Street, Queens, 718-721-5020 (11105)

The foremost Albanian contribution to New York cuisine is the burek, a spare tire of a flaky filo pie, stuffed with spinach, cheese, meat, or a combination. Although many Albanians now run pizza parlors and turn out delicious bureks as a sideline (sometimes they're not even on the menu), Burektorja Dukagjini specializes in them and serves virtually nothing else except coffee beverages. You can sit in the pleasant but small premises right off White Plains Road and wash your warm wedge of burek down with cappuccino, but why not take an entire pie home? 758 Lydig Avenue, The Bronx, 718-822-8955 (10462)

Don't you dare call them Barbadians! Former residents of this gentile Caribbean island prefer to be called Bajans, and Culpeppers is one of their most commodious outposts. The national dish of okra-flecked porridge called coo-coo plus steamed flying fish (sometimes they jump right into the boat!) is always available—unless it's not, when kingfish is substituted. Other delightful dishes include small sandwiches called cutters, pan-Caribbean rotis, and the usual nexus of stewed and sometimes curried chicken, goat, and lamb. 1082 Nostrand Avenue, Prospect Lefferts Gardens, Brooklyn, 718-940-4122 (11225)

The Petite Abeille chain has flourished since its debut more than a decade ago across from Old Navy in the Ladies Mile. The best remains in Tribeca, where such Belgian commonplaces as stoemp (mashed vegetables, with or without sausage), carbonnade Flamande (Flemish beef stew), and a selection of steamed mussels in various sauces, served with the classic twice-cooked Belgian fries. Enjoy the Tin-Tin comics secreted here and there on the premises. 134 West Broadway, 212-791-1360, for more locations, go to petiteabeille.com (10013)

We've had a flood of restaurants from Montreal during the past two years, and it's a toss-up which to choose for this category because all have their individual charms and their own bailiwicks. Since M. Wells has closed pending relocation, let's say Mile End, a Brooklyn deli that has done a magnificent job of cloning the smoked meat of Jewish Montreal plus a handful of other Quebecois specialties like seed-sprinkled bagels and a sandwich called the Ruth Lewinsky. A more ambitious menu has been added in the evening. 97A Hoyt Street, Brooklyn, 718-852-7510, mileendbrooklyn.com (11217)